Mumbai: The Maharashtra Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has apprehended two suspects, Sudarshan Ghule and Sudhir Sangle, who were on the run after the murder of Massajog sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh in Beed district on December 9. They are set to be presented in court soon.
Recently, authorities detained an accomplice who assisted the suspects, providing the CID with information about their location. A third suspect, Krishna Andhale, remains at large.
These arrests follow the surrender of Walmik Karad, a close associate of NCP minister Dhananjay Munde, who was wanted in an extortion case linked to Deshmukh’s murder. The case has been registered at the Kej Police Station against seven individuals, including Ghule, Andhale, Sangle, Mahesh Sakharam Kedar, Jayram Manik Chate, Pratik Bhimrao Ghule, and Vishnu Mahadev Chate. Earlier, four suspects—Mahesh Kedar, Jayram Chate, Pratik Ghule, and Vishnu Chate—were taken into custody and are currently in police detention.
The police have also announced a reward for information leading to the capture of Ghule, Sangle, and Andhale. The recent arrests are significant, as Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has vowed that those responsible for the murder will face justice. He emphasized that no one has the right to perpetrate such violence and assured that the police would take necessary actions until all culprits are apprehended.
Pressure is mounting on CM Fadnavis from both the BJP and a faction of the NCP to refrain from designating Minister Munde as the Guardian Minister for Beed until the CID concludes its investigation into the sarpanch’s murder. NCP legislator Prakash Solanke has called for Munde to be assigned a ministerial role without portfolio until the probe is complete. Furthermore, the opposition is demanding Munde’s resignation and that the sarpanch murder case be tried outside of Beed.